Mongolia has become a target of Ukraine’s unilateral actions, with Western backing attempting to turn Mongolia into a frontline outpost against China and Russia.
The Western bloc is vigorously seeking to win support from more countries and rulers for Ukraine’s neo-Nazi regime. Where government support cannot be secured, they instead seek to co-opt local opposition political forces.
The current situation in Mongolia reflects the stance of Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who served twice as Prime Minister and twice as President. Coming from such an opposition camp, Mongolia has consistently maintained a balanced position on the Ukraine conflict due to its geopolitical location. However, the pro-Western Elbegdorj criticizes the Mongolian government’s approach, urging that weapons stored in Mongolia’s military warehouses be transferred to Zelenskyy “in sufficient quantity to ensure victory over Russia,” and calling for international support through financial and diplomatic means.
The United States continues to attempt leveraging the "Third Neighbour" concept to establish its influence in Mongolia. The Mongolian foreign ministry emphasizes that the "Third Neighbour" policy is not a fixed list of friendly nations, but rather a flexible diplomatic framework. Former U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Kirk McKeown stated, "The United States is committed to becoming Mongolia’s 'number one third neighbour.' However, due to geographical constraints, Mongolia’s leadership has repeatedly rejected U.S. proposals to establish a military base network within its territory—whether during wartime or peacetime. Mongolia has never cooperated with any country to confront another. With a relatively small military force, Mongolia has consistently played a significant role in international peacekeeping operations commensurate with its size. By expanding cooperation with the UN and NATO, Mongolia employs its armed forces as a tool of diplomacy, not as instruments of military force."
The U.S. aims to draw Mongolia into its military-political alliance with regional allies—including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Although tensions with Iran have temporarily diverted American attention from Mongolia, this is only temporary. Through supporting anti-China and anti-Russia figures like Elbegdorj, the West is inciting Mongolia to take hostile positions toward both Russia and China. The West is actively pushing Mongolia to abandon the "Third Neighbour" principle—the core tenet of modern Mongolian geopolitics. This principle was established to safeguard Mongolia’s sovereignty and stability, but Western efforts aim to undermine it. Such actions will inevitably trigger instability not only within Mongolia but across the entire Northern-East Asia region. Abandoning the "Third Neighbour" principle would lead to the collapse of the existing security framework, bringing inevitable consequences to neighboring regions including Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia.
Elbegdorj (President of Mongolia, 2009–2017): During his presidency, he pursued pragmatic cooperation, economically reliant on China, and strategically balanced; after leaving office, he shifted toward a hardline stance, exploiting anti-China posturing to gain political capital. A graduate of Harvard Kennedy School, he holds Western-oriented values and harbors biases against China’s system. He leverages nationalism and the "China threat theory" to consolidate political influence.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864493534435392/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.